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Arts & Entertainment Television L is for Long distance
Arts & Entertainment Television L is for Long distance
| L is for Long distance |
 Australian television resumes dating an old flame, says David Knox.It’s been so long since we saw Bette, Tina, Shane, Dana, Alice, Jenny and Kit that it’s hard to remember what they were last doing. That’s because Channel 7 stopped screening The L Word after 2005. Those conservative campaigns against the show only generated publicity and a brief spike in ratings. Eventually the novelty wore off, and like many ‘cult shows with loyal followings’, it didn’t get a third season airing – until now. So, when I sat down to renew a distant friendship, it allowed me to reconsider the show’s virtues. The L Word is unashamed soap - of a higher quality than the sausage-factory we usually acquaint with the genre, but soap nonetheless. We’re compelled to emote with Tina and Bette pulling together and apart; to swoon as Shane takes Carmen in her arms; and to empathise with a confused Jenny. Structurally, the show remains very much a female Queer as Folk. Every week QAF mixed politics, romance, anguish, racy sex and a visual showpiece: a new nightclub, a porn shoot, fashion show, charity fundraiser, or comic book launch. There was always a feature segment bursting with colour, music, energy and sexy extras. This week, Kit has a casino fundraiser at her cafe with Alan Cumming as a zany host; Bette gets angry about equal adoption rights; Shane and Carmen make out in sexy lingerie; and Jenny nearly gets into a brawl when some kids taunt her new girlfriend, mistaking her as male. Yet I find myself conceding that The L Word also falls prey to the same criticisms levelled at QAF: the cast is predominantly young, attractive and white. It’s hard to know which is the bigger crime: an overly-pretty cast of lesbians/LA residents/television actors. Men are barely supporting characters –these grrls don’t seem to have any male friends or confidantes. That said, the series boasts major achievements, too. Ilene Chaiken has devised a mature, engaging and sexy series offering real insight into contemporary lesbian lives, which in itself is a coup for American network television. I love her flashback prologues, which feel always unrelated, yet return to interact with the present in unexpected ways. By episode’s end I’ve learned much, been hooked by solid storytelling and find I’m happy to share an hour a week with this alluring ensemble. Can’t ask for much more than that! The L Word screens on Movie Extra 9:30pm Sundays. TV GuideFRIDAY, APRIL 4[SBS/11:40pm] Movie: Madame Sata (Brazil 2002). The dramatised life of Brazil’s João Francisco dos Santos, who spent 27 years in prison, and was a gangster, father and drag performer who fought to redefine himself in a repressive society. SUNDAY 6 [Nine/4:30pm] Gilmore Girls. You have to admire any synopsis that reads, ‘Lane and Zack’s wedding is coming up and since Luke is busy, Michel is Lorelai’s first choice as a date, but he gets Celine Dion tickets and bails out.’ [Seven/9:30pm] Brothers and Sisters. Must be Celine day. As Kitty considers potential songs for her wedding she dismisses ‘Because You Loved Me’. “How is that even a wedding song? It’s past tense!” Kevin is over his boyf who never calls, and directs his attention to Scott. Truthfully, this show is so sentimental: why do I persist? MONDAY 7 [Fox8/8:30pm] Project Runway. New Series. Snippy Heidi Klum and snooty fashion consultant Tim Gunn are back with the only reality show gayer than TEN’s Dance juggernaut. This season (and yes, this is a bit of a spoiler) includes an HIV positive designer. A reality first for sure. [SBS/10:00pm] Sinchronicity. As Jase lies in a coma, Fi wants to know why he was out in the nightclub district and has traces of crystal meth in his system. Maybe because he’s a boy in a candy shop? Can’t be long before the jig is up. TUESDAY 8 [TEN/9:30pm] Women’s Murder Club. Given this series is set in San Francisco; I really expected more insight into a plot set in the drag community. It feels like something out of Les Girls in the 70s: patrons sitting politely at quaint little tables, a club manager named ‘Bruce’ (seriously) and a swathe of other clichés. Still, if four disparate women can solve half the city’s crimes on their own, there are much bigger problems afoot. WEDNESDAY 9 [Nine/7:30pm] My Kid’s a Star. Premiere. Another pearler from the Nine think-tank? Cameron Daddo, Danny Bonaduce, precocious kids and stage-mums. Best thing I can say is some kids seem to have some talent. Don’t call us… [SBS/10:30pm] Movie: A Tale of Two Sisters (South Korea 2003). Pick of the Week. The best Asian films these days are from South Korea, and this bloodied horror flick about daughters abused by their stepmother is atmospheric, genuinely creepy and brimming in twists to keep you guessing. This is up there with Japan’s Ring. See it before the US remake this year. THURSDAY 10 [Seven/12:00pm] Movie: Boat Trip (US 2002). Cuba Gooding stars in this truly excruciating ‘comedy’ about two straight guys who are inadvertently booked on a gay cruise. The gags are offensive, unfunny, and did I mention Roger Moore trying to pass himself off as an old queen? Gooding went on to make this after winning an Oscar. Why? [Showcase/8:30pm] Dexter. Not having killed anybody in weeks is sending our Dex a little round the twist (assuming that’s even possible). He doesn’t know who to trust, least of all himself. But while Dexter is distracted by the alluring Lila, Sgt. Doakes looks set to pounce. Still brilliant stuff. www.tvtonight.com.au
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